Generally, an air conditioner is an apparatus for controlling a temperature, a humidity, an air current and distribution, and the like suitable for a human activity using a cooling cycle while simultaneously eliminating dust from air. Major components for the cooling cycle include a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator and the like.
The condenser and the evaporator change a phase of a refrigerant through a heat exchange with outside air, and cooling or heating is performed using heat exchanged in the phase change of the refrigerant.
Here, to promote heat exchange in the condenser and the evaporator, a suction inlet through which outside air passes is provided in the vicinity of the condenser and the evaporator, and a filter is additionally provided to eliminate dust from outside air suctioned through the suction inlet.
If an air conditioner including a filter continuously operates, foreign material may be accumulated in the filter while outside air is passing therethrough which obstructs an inflow of the outside air. A filter cleaning device for cleaning the foreign material accumulated on the filter is provided to prevent such an accumulation.
Recently, a filter cleaning device for automatically cleaning a filter is provided and is configured to continuously separate dust attached to the filter therefrom using a brush. Due to a continuous operation of the brush, however, dust attaches to the brush and efficiency of filter cleaning degrades.
Also, the problem of the filter cleaning device described above occurs not only in an air conditioner but also in other equipment including a filter.